


Sweetest Downfall

by clarkesbellmy



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Royalty, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-28
Updated: 2015-03-26
Packaged: 2018-02-27 07:23:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2684258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clarkesbellmy/pseuds/clarkesbellmy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So, this was Bellamy Blake. She had heard countless stories of him, all repeating the same things, "He's so handsome...so alluring, his smile could melt you...you could drown in those eyes...careful with this one, Clarke." She had to admit he was handsome...but that didn't make her any more inclined to meet her fiancé.</p><p>*ON HIATUS*</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own The 100, all characters belong to Kass Morgan and Jason Rothenberg respectfully.  
> I do not currently have a beta so I apologize if there are any spelling mistakes or other errors! I will have a beta soon, I just haven't got all the details figured out yet and I wanted to post this as soon as possible. :)

Clarke Griffin awoke that morning with a twinge in her gut. She dressed and meticulously arranged her golden curls with unwelcome anticipation. She greeted her mother with ever-growing dread. She forced breakfast into her turning stomach. And she went about her day with resignation hanging over her head like a cloud.

Today was the day Clarke had been dreading her entire life. The day that no amount of Finishing School classes could prepare her for. The day that was entirely and completely out of her control.

As she made her way to her rooms with her escort, she noticed the guards and servants bustling about, infinitely more frantic than usual, which could only mean one thing: _he_ was here.

Clarke swallowed the anxiety threatening to burst from her throat and walked faster. As she reached her rooms she ran inside, thrust open the balcony doors, and hurried to the railing. Her eyes frantically searching for her mother and their...guest.

She blanched as she saw them.

So, this was Bellamy Blake. She had heard countless stories of him, all repeating the same things, _"He's so handsome...so alluring, his smile could melt you...you could drown in those eyes...careful with this one, Clarke."_

She had to admit he _was_ handsome...but that didn't make her any more inclined to meet her fiancé.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a really short chapter, they are not going to be this short, I just wanted to get the prologue out of the way. Also this is an AU so some characters will be slightly OOC sometimes simply because of the setting, but I will try to keep it as true as I can.


	2. Battle of One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She slowed her steps as she neared the tea room. She did not want to go in there, but if there was one thing Clarke was, she was brave. She took a deep breath and pushed open the double doors.  
> "Good day, Princess."

_"take a deep breath, princess, and remember:_  
 _being a queen is not a blessing_  
 _it is an act of war_  
 _(so keep your skirts short and your dagger holstered, darling;_  
 _you're fighting a battle of one)"_

* * *

 

From her balcony, Clarke watched her mother escort the Prince through the gardens and sighed. She would never understand why she was being forced to marry somebody she had never met. What if he was cruel? What if he hated her?

She turned to Finn. "You must go now, Mr. Collins."

"Clarke-"

"You shouldn't call me that."  _Oh, but she wanted him to._  Finn Collins was with her most of her days, if he wasn't taking her riding he was escorting her elsewhere. She knew it was odd to have a male escort but the Collins' had been very old friends of her father. Raven Reyes would have been the obvious choice for her escort surely, but she was her favourite Lady in Waiting, and her best friend. Besides, Clarke had been entrusted within Finn's care for so long now it hardly seemed strange at all.

"The Prince is here, isn't he?"

"Yes, and you must go."

He looked resigned, but nodded. "I'll see you at 5:00 for combat."

Finn was looking at her with those eyes she pretended to hate. She loved those eyes but they tore her heart apart. Clarke knew nothing could ever become of them. Finn knew nothing could ever become of them. They hadn't ever discussed  _them_ really. But there was something there and it was forever driving Clarke mad. Mad with want and anger because despite always getting everything she could ever want, she could never have the one thing she loved.

Clarke wanted to say something, but as she opened her mouth there was a knock on the door. The guard outside was requesting her presence in the tea room overlooking the garden. She left without looking back.

* * *

 

She slowed her steps as she neared the tea room. She did not want to go in there, but if there was one thing Clarke was, she was brave. She took a deep breath and pushed open the double doors.

"Good day, Princess." he greeted her as she entered the room. He really  _was_  handsome...and he was smiling at her. Raven had been right, she should be cautious.

She curtsied gently, "Your Highness."

He laughed. Clarke thought she hated him.

"You needn't continue with such formality's, Princess. We are to be married, after all."

Clarke hated him.

Who gave him the right to waltz into her kingdom, into her castle, into her life, and take her future in his own hands? Aside from their parents combined serious lack of judgement apparently.

Clarke had been engaged to Bellamy Blake since before she was born. His mother ruled the neighboring kingdom and naturally, he was heir. If their kingdoms combined they would be the most influential leaders in the past six generations. But Clarke did not want power, Clarke wanted love...love that she could not have. She did not care about Princes or politics.

"So it seems," she replied.

She took a moment to observe him. He didn't look like a Prince, not exactly. She could definitely see the upbringing in the way he carried himself, and the royal blood in his facial structure, but he looked...rugged. His shoes were scuffed and the buttons on his jacket did not shine. His hair was wayward and needed a cut, and she noticed a small cut on the bridge of his nose.

She may not have liked him, but he intrigued her.

"Darling!" Clarke turned to her mother, she had almost forgotten she was there. "Why don't you show Prince Blake the greenhouses? I know how much you love them, it'll give you some time to get to know one another."

She was quite positive she could have killed her mother in that moment. And she wouldn't have needed the secret combat training from Finn to do it.

Bellamy had the nerve to smile.

"That sounds wonderful, I've been waiting to meet you for  _so long._ "

* * *

 

Bellamy watched the Princess as she walked slightly ahead of him. She was definitely not what he had been expecting.

Yes she was obedient and polite, but he could tell she was doing it to please her mother. He saw the contempt behind her eyes when she looked at him, he saw the dress she wore that wasn't quite Princess appropriate.

She was beautiful. And tiny. She reminded him of his sister, Octavia. She had wanted to come with him so badly but he knew this first meeting needed to be something he did alone. He had promised she could come next time and left her with their mother. She had not been pleased.

Much like the Princess striding before him was not pleased. It amused him, the similarities. She may not like him now but he knew he would win her over.

He whistled softly to himself and followed Clarke through the gardens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** First of all _the beautiful poem at the beginning of this chapter is by my lovely friend Michelle,_ there is a link in my bio to it if you'd like to see the whole thing.  
>  Secondly thank you so much for all the favourites and follows this story has been getting, it really assures me that I did the right thing by posting it here for you all. :)  
> However...Reviews will give me much more motivation. This is my first fic so I need you all to tell me what you like, what you'd like to see, what you don't like, I want to make this the best I can for you.
> 
> I have also found a beta! My other lovely friend Mandy has agreed to take on the task. (And might I just say that she is doing this while completing her first year of university AND betaing another one of my friend's stories so mad props to her) She did not beta this chapter because I wanted to get up more than the prologue today but everything else will be looked over and edited by her so have no fear.
> 
> Once again thank you guys so much
> 
> \- Lauren


	3. Rain and Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You don't like me, do you, Princess?"  
> She whirled around and looked him in the eye, which was quite a feat considering he was at least 5 inches taller than she was. She briefly noticed that they were standing far too close to one another again, but did not step back.

_"She's just like the weather,_  
 _can't hold her together._  
 _Born from dark water,_  
 _daughter of the rain and snow."_

* * *

Walking through the gardens with the Prince beside her was most assuredly the most awkward experience of her life.

Clarke hugged her coat against her body. She did not want to be here. She did not want him to be here. He knew both of these things. And he was smiling...again. He was also whistling softly behind her. Clarke didn't usually mind whistling, or smiling for that matter, but when he did it she wanted to pull her hair out. She supposed it was because she already disliked him so much, he could have brought her a puppy and she'd have hated it.

It was also distracting. She was chastising herself for ever hoping something might happen with Finn. She had known of this engagement since before she could talk, she should have been more careful. But Clarke was stubborn, and that was putting it mildly. Her mind had been set on hating this whistling, smiling man her entire life and there wasn't anything that could change her mind.

She said a silent thanks when she saw the greenhouses in view.

Her silent thanks quickly dissolved into a silent rage when she heard him speak.

"So, Princess, these are your precious greenhouses?"

She sighed but did not turn around. "Yes." As an afterthought she said, "My name isn't actually Princess." Even though he knew that.

She could actually  _feel_  him preparing to annoy her.

"I'll call you whatever you like, Clarke." She found herself hating the way he rolled the letters of her name together.

She huffed. The nerve of him. "That's rather familiar, don't you agree?" She bit out with a glance over her shoulder.

He stepped closer to her, almost brushing her back with his chest. She felt his breath stir her hair when he replied.

"Yes."

Clarke refused to step away, despite the voice inside her screaming that this was extremely inappropriate. She would not give him the satisfaction of bothering her.

"Well, seeing as we've just met I'd prefer if you did not refer to me as such." Only then did she move forwards, walking ever so slightly faster towards the greenhouses. She heard him jog to catch up up behind her and bit back a smile.

"You don't like me, do you, Princess?"

She whirled around and looked him in the eye, which was quite a feat considering he was at least 5 inches taller than she was. She briefly noticed that they were standing far too close to one another again, but did not step back. "No, quite frankly, I don't. Meaning no disrespect, Your Majesty." She said the title almost bitterly, as though he didn't deserve it. "I don't know the first thing about you, and I never asked for this marriage."

Damn him. He was still smiling. Clarke wanted to smack it off his face. She wouldn't dislike him nearly as much if he would stop taunting her.

"Well, my dear Clarke-" She cut him off with a pointed glare. "Princess. Seeing as you  _are a Princess_  -dare I say,  _the_  Princess- and I am a Prince of a highly influential and respected family, and this arrangement has been in talks since before either of us ever existed, I'm terribly sorry but I'm quite positive there is no way you'll be getting out of this."

"I'm well aware of that," Did he think she was a child? Of course she knew this, "However, nowhere in this arrangement does it state that I need to be happy about it."

And with that, she marched off back to the castle.

She could practically hear his smirk following after her.

* * *

Bellamy watched her walk back to the castle.

He spoke to the empty garden. "Whatever you say, Princess."

No, she was definitely not what he had been expecting. She was...passionate. Not just in the way she spoke to him, he saw it in the way her eyes lit up as the greenhouses had neared, he saw it in the way she walked, the way she breathed. Her very essence was spilling with passion.

This passion was the very reason he enjoyed teasing her. He knew she would be more inclined to like him if he stopped, but he saw the real Clarke Griffin come out when she spoke to him. The unreserved, animated way she behaved when he riled her up was so different to her manner in the tea room. Her eyes flashed and her cheeks turned pink and she lost some of the discipline. Her stance slackened slightly and her chin wasn't held quite so high. He liked her better this way.

* * *

Clarke stormed into the East Wing -her wing- in a flurry of blue skirts and blonde curls. She wanted to cry. She hated the Prince, she hated his devil-may-care attitude, and his stupid laugh, and his gorgeous face, and his god forsaken whistling.

She hated what he represented.  
 _Her future_

What he reminded her of.  
 _Her heart_

Her heart...why had she been so foolish as to fall for Finn? They could never be together, not in a hundred different lifetimes. She'd set herself up for a life of misery. She knew she could love again, but certainly not with  _Bellamy_. Certainly not with her fate.

A knock sounded from the hall, causing Clarke to glance at the doors. She did not want to see anybody.

"Clarke, I know you're in there..."

She changed her mind, there was someone she needed to see after all.

Clarke opened the door and dragged the other girl inside before soundly shutting and locking the doors. She leaned against the handles and grinned at Raven.

 _Raven_. She had been dying to talk to her, he best friend. Clarke, Finn, and Raven were something of a force to be reckoned with around the castle. Whether they had been 5 and running under people's feet, 10 and causing unwanted trouble, or 15 and sneaking around the halls at ungodly hours. If Clarke was not with one of them, she was with them both. She had always suspected Raven to be sweet on their mutual friend, but the girl had never said anything, so Clarke had kept quiet.

Her friend looked much too excited. Clarke was almost sad to disappoint her.

"You must tell me everything! Was he handsome? Funny? Tall? Is he nice? Did you like him?  _Did he like you?_ " All of this was said in one breath.

Clarke rolled her eyes. "Yes...No, yes, no,  _no_ , and dear god I hope not."

The darker girl frowned. That was the thing about Raven, if Clarke was day, she was night. Clarke was pale...extremely. With her ivory skin and golden hair and icy blue eyes, she looked like a snowflake. But Raven was striking in a way Clarke simply would never achieve. She had amber skin and rich brown hair and dark captivating eyes. Clarke was a snowflake, she was a thunderstorm.

She had always envied Raven for her beauty. Not that Clarke wasn't beautiful, but she had always wished to have the mysterious intrigue Raven possessed so naturally.

The other girl grabbed her hand, startling Clarke from her thoughts.

"Oh, come  _on_ , Clarke! He can't have been that terribly awful, tell me what happened."

The two friends sat cross-legged on the floor like they had when they where little girls and Clarke told her everything. Her initial fears, her first impression from the balcony, the greeting, the walk ,the whistling, all of it. Raven listened intently and when Clarke was finished she was silent for a moment.

"You know, Clarke...I think you're being a little hard on him. I mean, he's probably just as nervous as you are."

Clarke considered this. "Maybe you're right, but I will never love him, I don't know the first thing about him and we're to be married within the next four months..."

Raven looked apologetically at her friend, "I'm sorry Clarke, but it will work out in the end, it always does for you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I want to thank you for all the wonderful reviews I've received already! I'm so happy people are enjoying this story because I really wasn't too sure how it would go over. I need to thank my amazingly fantastic beta Mandy for being amazingly fantastic. Also our friend Grace (who Mandy is also betaing) is writing a wonderful crossover fic for The Mortal Instruments and Harry Potter called This Magic Can Break Us. So if you should definitely go check it out! (Her user is lightwoodsisabelle)
> 
> The lyrics at the top are from Landscape by Florence + The Machine
> 
> Thank you guys so much, and please R&R!
> 
> \- Lauren


	4. Something Unusual

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Tell me something, Princess."  
> Without missing a beat, she replied, "Men are six times more likely to be struck by lightning than women." And smirked as she saw him glance towards the sky suspiciously.

_"Nothing unusual, nothing strange_   
_Close to nothing at all_   
_The same old scenario, the same old rain_   
_And there's no explosions here_   
_Then something unusual, something strange_   
_Comes from nothing at all"_

* * *

Clarke awoke the next morning to the sound of conversation. Raven, still in last night's newly wrinkled dress —as was she— was standing at the open door talking to whom Clarke could only imagine was Finn.

She quickly jumped out of bed and smoothed down her dress and hair as the other girl turned at the sound.

"She lives!"

Clarke mumbled something about cheeky friends and joined Raven at the door.

"Hello, Mr. Collins."

The boy smiled at her and bowed his head slightly. "Good morning, Princess Griffin. Lady Reyes was just telling me of last night's encounter with the Prince."

Clarke made a most unladylike face, followed by a word her mother would have highly disapproved of.

Finn laughed. "I see she was not exaggerating."

Clarke pointed at the two of them. "Laugh all you will but one day you will both be obligated to love someone you despise."

She saw Raven glance at their male friend in the silence that followed her statement. It was gestures like this that made her wonder. Not that she would ever interfere, she knew that she could never be with Finn, and if her friends came out of this happy that was one reward.

* * *

She had changed into her mother's favorite dress, a pale pink number that unfortunately had the full skirts that Clarke had never understood the need for. She had done this because she knew the Queen would not be impressed by what she had to say. Currently, Clarke was sitting at a large table across from her mother in the dining room, the ornate surface was covered in few platters, making the varnished wood look even more spacious then it was.

Just as Clarke was about to eat a bite of the eggs on her plate, her mother asked the question she had been hoping to avoid for approximately the rest of her life.

"What do you think of him?"

She sighed and put her fork down before looking her mother in the eyes across the table and chewing as slowly as she could manage. "Honestly?"

"Of course, dear."

"I hate him."

Her mother gasped,  _"Clarke!"_

"I'm sorry, mother but it's true!  _I never asked for any of this!"_  She stood up abruptly and pushed away from the table before pacing the room, "I understand the political benefits of this arrangement, I understand why it had to happen, but I certainly do not understand why I am expected to fall in love with him the moment we meet! And I don't understand why we've never met before! Maybe if I had known him from childhood like I have Fi— _Mr. Collins_  I would be more inclined to this engagement!"

"Clarke, honey…"

"Do not look at me like that, mother, I know what you're going to say and I don't want to hear it."

The Queen seemed to be considering something as she eyed her daughter. "Perhaps you should spend less time with Mr. Collins now that you're older…"

_"What?!"_

"Clarke, it's for the best, you need to get over this silly little crush you have. You know it will never go anywhere —don't look so surprised, you think I haven't noticed?— spend more time with Prince Blake, talk to him, I'm sure you will see what a wonderful husband he will be."

Clarke couldn't believe what she was hearing, but she knew arguing would make it worse so she excused herself and left the room.

* * *

Clarke shivered as she walked towards the greenhouses, she should have gotten her coat but she had just wanted to leave. She breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped into the warm glass building. The Princess was in the smallest greenhouse, almost hidden from sight if you looked from the castle, but it was here she housed the rarer and more exotic plants.

She wished she had been in the state of mind to remember her sketch book, drawing was something Clarke had done since she could hold a pencil and it always calmed her nerves.

She gently touched the petal of a bright red flower, making a note to return later with the book and some colored ink, and sat on a bench. She almost broke the plant when she jumped at a voice from behind her.

"I thought I might find you here."

Clarke breathed a sigh of relief as she quickly recognized Finn's voice.

"I thought you were the Prince."

He made an offended face and mockingly placed a hand over his heart. "How could you confuse this handsome face?" His dark eyes mocked her as he playacted.

She knew she ought to laugh. Clarke sighed instead as he came to sit beside her. "What's wrong? I know something is wrong if you're not laughing at me."

She took a moment to study his concerned face. Not that she needed to, she had every line, every freckle, memorized. That's what happened when you stared at the same face for seventeen years.

"My mother thinks we should…spend less time with each other." She interrupted him as he opened his mouth to protest, "I don't want this any more than you do but there is nothing I can do about it, I'm sure she's changing your schedule as we speak…Raven will keep you company but I'd like to continue the combat lessons, mother hasn't found out yet so I imagine there won't be any problems."

"Clarke—" the older boy started, his forehead crinkled in concern.

 _"You must stop calling me that, Finn!"_  She ran her hands through her hair, "and I must stop calling you that as well."

This was such a mess. Her life was a mess, her heart was a mess.

She stood up suddenly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Collins but I think I need to be alone, please excuse me."

And with that, Clarke ran out of the greenhouse before he could reply.

* * *

After a few minutes of walking, Clarke found herself in the small grove of trees at the outskirts of the grounds she had once thought was a forest, until she had grown tall enough to see the other side.

She sat on the ground with no regard for her dress and leaned her head against a tree. She needed to think.

She knew she could not possibly get out of the engagement with Prince Blake, she just wished he made it easier to like him. Of course, some of it was her fault, she had always been a stubborn little girl. Except it wasn't her fault. She had never  _asked_  for this, everyone forced it onto her and expected her to behave the perfect lady. Clarke wasn't so sure she could do it this time...

She looked down and suddenly realized that the dress she had just soiled was not only her mother's favorite, but also her most expensive piece of clothing. She shut her eyes, explaining this would not be enjoyable in the least. Not that she was particularly bothered by this fact at the moment.

And of course, because Clarke was upset, because Clarke wanted to be alone, she turned her head and saw Bellamy Blake walk into the circle of trees.

He stopped when he noticed her sitting on the ground, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Princess." Was all he said by way of greeting.

This was the last thing she needed.

"I am sorry, Your Highness, but I am truly in the worst mood for company at the moment."

"You can stop referring to me so formally, Princess."

"Prince Blake—"

"Bellamy." He interrupted.

She narrowed her eyes,  _"Prince Blake."_

He sighed, but smiled again, why was he always smiling at her? "If you wish."

There was an awkward moment where Clarke refused to speak so she tried staring him down instead. It clearly didn't work because he moved forwards and sat across from her, still smiling. "What brings you here today, in such an expensive dress no less?" He eyed the mud stains on her skirts.

Obviously, the man had no plans on going anywhere anytime soon. She may as well be civil. "I came here to be alone but seeing as I can never escape anyone anywhere at any hour of the day that's not going to be happening."

Clarke thought he looked a little hurt at her words, but she couldn't imagine why.

"Well, Princess if you want me to leave all you have to do is ask."

She opened her mouth to do just that, but suddenly Clarke wasn't so sure what she wanted anymore. She did want to be alone and she most certainly did not want to be with him, but this was an opportunity to get to know the Prince without prying eyes. Granted they were alone in the gardens the previous day but there were always people nearby. She had never been truly alone with him. The thought scared her, but once again, she found herself intrigued by the man sitting before her. With his scuffed shoes and rough hands. Even his clothing today was simple, not befitting to a Prince at all. Instead of being adorned with lavish silks and bright velvets he was wearing a simple black jacket and pants. He almost looked like a soldier.

Clarke didn't say anything.

Bellamy smiled.

Clarke waited.

"You never answered my question."

"What question?"

"Why are you out here in such a fancy dress?"

He was trying to bother her, she decided not to hold back the truth.

Clarke looked him straight in the eye and said, "It's my mother's favorite and I wore it to tell her I don't like you."

The Prince  _actually_  laughed. He did not chuckle, nor did he chortle, he most certainly did not giggle. The Prince tipped his head back and  _laughed._  His shoulders shook and his dark hair bounced around his head as he choked out the sound.

Clarke didn't know what to do, so she just stared at him.

"You're a peculiar little thing, aren't you, Princess?"

 _"Excuse me?"_  She didn't know if she should be offended or not.

He sobered slightly. "You're just not what I expected, is all."

"Well, you are exactly what I expected."

But he wasn't. Not really. She was beginning to see things in him she had not previously noticed. His simple clothes, his unguarded conversation with her. Things she hadn't expected.

He stood up so suddenly that Clarke was startled out of her thoughts. He held a hand to her.

She stared at it, then looked away. She really needed to stop staring at him.

"What are you doing?"

"Saving your dress, or rather, you."

She huffed, but allowed him to pull her to her feet. "I  _do not_  need saving."

"Oh, I don't doubt that at all, Princess. But come back to the castle with me." She raised an eyebrow. Was he serious? "I took you horseback riding as a sign of good faith because I know you love it and you fell, one hundred percent my fault."

Clarke stared. Again.

Bellamy smiled. Again.

"Your mother will hardly be mad, she'll be so happy we're getting along."

She knew it wasn't really a big deal, but in a way it was. He was  _trying._  Here he was standing before her, trying to make an effort. It was almost childish, getting her out of trouble from her mother. Something Finn would have done for her when they were little.

Maybe...maybe she should try a little harder too.

"Very well," she said, before turning and walking towards the castle.

She smiled with her back to him. "Prince Bellamy."

* * *

It took him a moment to start moving as he stared after the Princess, stained dress and all.  _Bellamy,_  she had said. Not Majesty, not Blake,  _Bellamy._  Why did it sound so different coming from her lips?

He shook himself and quickly caught up to Clarke with his long strides.

"Tell me something, Princess."

Without missing a beat, she replied, "Men are six times more likely to be struck by lightning than women." And smirked as she saw him glance towards the sky suspiciously. The blue sky didn't warn of any incoming rain.

"As fascinating as that is, it's not exactly what I meant."

"Well then you should have been clearer in your meaning."

He smiled and nodded to himself. "Apologizes, Princess. What I meant to say is: may I ask you a question?"

"Of course you may, it doesn't mean you will be getting an answer."

She was still walking slightly ahead of him, so he darted in front of her to halt her stride.

"Why are you so different around your mother?"

Clarke was surprised, she didn't know what she had been expecting but it hadn't been this.

"I'm not sure I understand."

Bellamy eyed her. She knew what he meant, why didn't she want to answer?

"I think you do, Princess."

She glanced at the castle behind his shoulder. What could she say?  _I don't trust myself to be real with her? I don't even know who the real me is anymore? It's easier to be myself around you?_  She looked him in the eyes and decided on, "I don't want to disappoint her."

His eyes softened. He could not believe this girl before him. And she  _was_  just a girl, he reminded himself. Seventeen years old, afraid to be herself because she was not brought up in such ways.

"I don't think you could ever cause disappointment, Clarke."

Bellamy was surprised when she did not chastise him for using her name. Instead, she kept looking at him for a few moments, bit her lip gently, and continued her walk towards the castle. Once again leaving Bellamy to catch up behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So this is by far the longest chapter I've written! Hopefully the size will stay like this or continue to grow because I don't like short chapters and I know you guys don't either. But sometimes it's unavoidable...
> 
> Also, I know I've been updating basically every day but that's only because I had these all pretty much ready from before, but this is the last one.So from now on it will be weekly updates.
> 
> The lyrics for this chapter are from Amie by Damien Rice.
> 
> Once again, a HUGE thank you to my beta Mandy for making this story 10x better than I could have done. She's an angel.  
> And thank you all for sticking with me and saying such lovely things, I truly appreciate it.
> 
> \- Lauren


	5. Enough to Wonder

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She felt herself blush as she watched his eyes trail up her body to her face, where he smirked at her obvious embarrassment. "That's quite the ensemble you have going there."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I never put author's notes at the top but I just want to PROFUSELY APOLOGIZE for the wait for this update! I unexpectedly went to my dad's place for four days which has no internet access and I failed to save the part of this chapter I already had done onto my computer so I couldn't even finish writing it! Anyways you probably don't care and just want to read it so without further adieu...

_"We touch, I feel a rush_   
_We clutch, it isn't much_   
_But it's enough to make me wonder_   
_What's in store for us"_

* * *

Clarke was sitting on the balcony outside the library. She was up on the stone barrier and had her legs dangling precariously below her as she looked at the sky. This was one of her favorite places, she liked to draw out here. The balcony in her room overlooked the gardens and was easily seen (and accessed) by anyone. The library balcony however, was seldom used, and faced the stables. Her mother didn't go to the library often anymore, and no one wanted to look at the stables so Clarke was almost always alone here. Which was of course, why she came.

She looked at the graying sky that warned of winter weather and thought back to earlier that day, when The Prince had taken her back to the castle.

He had been right, her mother was...ecstatic that they were getting along, or thought to be, she barely blinked when she saw the dress. All Clarke had heard for half an hour afterwards had been,  _"Oh, Clarke, wasn't it nice of Prince Bellamy to take you riding?"_  and,  _"I knew you'd get along, I'm so happy for you darling."_

Clarke glanced at her current dress and smiled, she had never liked that big pink thing anyways.

* * *

Bellamy didn't look up from the letter he was writing as he mumbled a quick,  _"Come in,"_  to the knock at his door.

"Your Highness, I apologize for the intrusion."

He did look up at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, and saw a pretty girl standing in his doorway.

Bellamy waved his hand heedlessly and beckoned her inside. "It's not a problem, please come in."

He took a moment to study her as she confidently shut the door and made her way deeper into his rooms. Bellamy found this refreshing. Most girls were so cautious around him, shuffling about and blushing constantly, he appreciated this self-assured, unafraid young lady.

"What can I help you with..." he trailed off, waiting for her to announce her name.

"Lady Reyes."

He smiled. "What can I help you with, Lady Reyes?"

"I'm the Princess' Lady in Waiting," When she noticed his odd look she quickly added, "She didn't send me here, if that's what you are thinking."

"If the Princess didn't send you here then what business do you have?" He did not say it unkindly.

"Actually, I wanted to talk about Clarke."

* * *

Raven smiled to herself as she walked the bustling afternoon halls back to her room. Clarke would no doubt be...put out if she found out about the little chat Raven had had with the Prince just minutes before, but the damn girl was so stubborn, it was really for her own good.

As she turned the corner she abruptly crashed into a person who was very clearly in a hurry. As she was muttering apologizes she glanced up and cut off with a bright smile. "Finn!"

Unlike Clarke's relationship with Finn, Raven and the boy were more free to use their given names, much like the girls did together.

"Raven, I'm so sorry, are you alright?"

"I'd be better if you weren't running around the castle like a lunatic, don't you have lessons with Clarke?"

He grinned over his shoulder as he started hurrying away, "Why do you think I'm running around like I lunatic?"

She sighed as she watched him run off. She knew Finn arguably better than Clarke, before Finn and Raven had been integrated within the castle they had known each other. But growing up in the castle, Raven always watched Finn love Clarke a little more than he did her.

She walked the rest of the way to her room a little faster.

* * *

Octavia Blake stared at the letter in her hand. It was, of course, from Bellamy. She missed her brother. Octavia was something of a free spirit and she had begged to accompany him to the Griffin Castle, but that wasn't the only reason she had wanted to leave. Their mother was...neglectful. Not on purpose, but according to Bellamy, ever since their father had been killed before she was born, the Queen had changed. Not to mention the fact that Octavia was unplanned. Her mother had always only wanted one child, but when she became pregnant a second time she had prayed for a boy. Since the moment Octavia was born, it had been clear to her that she was unwanted.

Her mother tried, she always tried. She gave Octavia nice things and brought her up well, but there was a degree of coldness that was never present with Bellamy.

Octavia looked up from the letter and glanced around her brother's rooms. She had gone to his wing to be alone and feel closer to him. She had never been alone with their mother without Bellamy being home, the past couple days had been rough. She had taken to only seeing her mother at meal times and otherwise preoccupying herself throughout the day.

She read the letter again.

_O,_   
_I've missed you. I'm sorry you could not come with me. I promise to bring you next time._   
_I think you will like it here very much. There are huge gardens and a little forest on the grounds and the castle is up on a mountain._   
_The Princess reminds me of you. She's independent and passionate and stubborn as anything. Unfortunately, she doesn't like me very much._   
_I intend to change that._   
_I will be home as soon as I can, please take care and try not to get yourself into trouble._   
_With love,_   
_Bell._

* * *

Clarke waited impatiently for Finn behind the greenhouses. He was late. They had very little time available to sneak off for Clarke's combat training, and every minute counted. Especially when that minute was spent waiting.

Combat was something she had originally asked Finn about when she was 11, after she saw him training with one of the guards on the grounds. Clarke had been fascinated by the beauty of it. The discipline, the agility, the dance-like steps, and of course...the weapons. Shining swords singing through the air in calculated dances cutting like diamonds through the sunlight, arrows flying from bows held just so to almost instantly pierce a target 50 feet away. It was like magic. And Clarke wanted it.

So she trained. She was awful at first of course, clumsy and weak. But she grew and she learned and now she could even beat Finn on a good day. Of course it had helped once he had finally snatched some pants and a tunic for her to practice in. Fighting in large flowing dresses was not exactly ideal.

Clarke glanced up as she heard someone running down the cobblestone path towards her and sighed in relief as she watched Finn dash around the corner.

"I'm sorry I'm late!" He said as he threw her clothing at her and dropped his weapon bag.

"What happened?"

"I lost track of time." She shook her head to herself as she slipped into the greenhouse to change.

Clarke quickly shed her blue dress and started dressing in the clothing Finn had brought. She loved pants, she wished she could wear them all the time. They were so much more comfortable and freeing.

She slipped on the tight brown pants and a black quarter-sleeved tunic. She tugged on her boots as she hurried back outside.

"What are we doing today?"

He grinned as he turned around holding two Mortuary swords and tossed one to Clarke.

She easily snatched it out of the air and took up a fighting stance.

* * *

Clarke smiled to herself as she swung the sword through the air and watched the light dance off its edge. Finn had left a few minutes ago but she always stayed as long as possible. Currently, she was delicately spinning on the cobblestones, her feet moving lightly in agile steps, her sword blocking imaginary attacks.

She had won today. Attacked Finn with vigor until he had ended up on the ground with her sword to his throat and a smiling Clarke standing before him.

She replicated her earlier steps, this time alone, perfecting her form and control. Until she turned around and almost cut the Prince's head clean off.

"OH!" Clarke cried in surprise as she leapt gently backwards. "I'm  _so_  sorry! Are you alright?"

He glanced at her sword and smiled. "A little shaken up perhaps, but very much alright."

"Maybe you shouldn't sneak up on people using weapons."

Bellamy chuckled, "Touché, Princess."

Clarke was suddenly extremely aware that she was dressed to the height of impropriety and subtly tried to hide her figure-revealing clothes behind the sword, which as one might imagine, did not work very well at all.

She felt herself blush as she watched his eyes trail up her body to her face, where he smirked at her obvious embarrassment. "That's quite the ensemble you have going there."

She flushed indignantly and opened her mouth to retort when he interrupted her.

"It suits you."

There was an extremely prolonged awkward silence which Clarke imagined was only awkward on her part as she tried to figure out what on earth he had meant by that. Was he teasing her? Was he actually being nice? Was he -daresay-  _flirting_  with her?

He smiled and held out his hand, "May I?"

Clarke blinked. "Excuse me?"

"May I see the Mortuary?"

She cocked her head and without warning, chucked it across the distance between him. She was supremely disappointed when he caught it without missing a beat. Clarke watched as he held it delicately in two hands.

"This is a beautiful weapon," Bellamy commented without lifting his eyes from the sword.

"It was my father's."

Clarke tried to control her reaction when the Prince looked at her again. She had  _not_  meant to say that.  _Why had she said that?_  It had just slipped out...

She watched as he carefully walked towards her and handed the weapon back to her. "My apologizes, Princess."

"You don't have to apologize," she murmured, but took the sword back anyways. Their hands brushed briefly and his fingerprints seemed to leave an imprint on her palm, her fingers still tingling moments after.

Bellamy was sure to look at her face before he responded. "Clearly it is very special to you, I know your father is not with you any longer."

She smiled a little as she thought about the former King, she didn't think of him often.

She looked in his eyes. "No, it's okay." She was trying to forget about how her fingers felt. It wasn't working.

There was another unfortunate awkward silence preceding Clarke's words. This seemed to be a habit whenever he was present, it really needed to stop as she was once again, quite sure that it was only awkward on her end.

The Prince laughed lightly as he turned to walk away. Calling over his shoulder, "You're an excellent fighter, Princess. I'm sure your instructor must be proud."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I wrote the majority of this chapter while trying not to choke to death on my own saliva (because I'm a true professional damn it) so hopefully any horrible mistakes were all found by Mandy who I'd like to thank for the 84582326th time for being a wonderful beta. The lyrics at the beginning are actually from Space Bound by Eminem...I don't recommend listening to this song for this chapter because it's really not the feel I wanted, I just thought those beginning lyrics fit really well.
> 
> Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go hack my lungs out and drink 7 billion gallons of water.
> 
> Much love,
> 
> \- Lauren


	6. Not Quite Sure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke. She was just one surprise after another. A sword-fighting Princess, who would have thought? Bellamy tried not to think about how her practice tunic and pants had revealed her figure. The delicate muscles in her arms...The shape of her legs...The curve of her hips-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haha...so hi...*coughs* I'M BACK PLEASE DON'T SHOOT I've been crazy busy which is not an excuse but just so you guys know!  
> I also wanted to wish everyone a happy new year! which you probably don't care about and just want to read the chapter so:

 

_"you see, i am not quite sure when it began_   
_this thrumming, humming in my chest_   
_this mad craving, this exquisite ache-quiet yet persistent_   
_all i know is that your absence leaves me bereft_   
_and your closeness stops my breath"_

* * *

Octavia glanced up in surprise from her brother's latest letter as she heard an odd pinging sound throughout the room.

_Ping._

It was coming from the window. Her low heels clicked against the floor as she walked over and carefully looked outside, laughing when she saw who was throwing pebbles at her bedroom window.

"What are you doing?" she called down, smiling.

"Do you want to have some fun, or not?" An amused voice called from below.

She rolled her eyes at the response, but gathered her skirts and ran outside to the courtyard.

"Jasper what in god's name are you doing?" Technically, she was not supposed to refer to him as such, but Octavia had never been one to play by the rules. Besides, if her brother could use his given name, she could too.

Jasper looked exasperated before responding. " _Come on_ , Monty's in the stables already! We're here to get you out of the castle." When Octavia cocked an eyebrow he added, "Prince's orders."

She scoffed. "Please, my brother doesn't need to tell his lackeys to take care of me." But she was smiling when she said it.

Jasper had a look of mock indignation on his face. "I'll have you know that we are not  _lackeys_  my dear Princess, no we are  _knights_. Noble warriors who fight to protect your brother and yourself."

"Mhhmm...and when have you ever actually been in a battle?"

"That's not the point! The point is that I am here to entertain you this fine afternoon." He interrupted her before she could speak. "And not as a court jester!"

Octavia smiled at Monty as he walked toward them. He glanced at his friend and then back at the Princess. "Is he being an idiot again?"

"Yeah, but what else is new?"

* * *

Clarke's delicately bejeweled hand rapped smartly on Raven's door as she waited patiently for the girl to open it. Her friend was up to something, though in Raven's defense she was almost always up to something. She snapped out of her thoughts as the door opened.

"Clarke, hi!"

"Raven." She quickly hugged the girl before entering the beautiful, yet modest rooms.

"Not that you aren't welcome but...why are you here Clarke?"

Clarke turned to face her and smiled knowingly. "I know."

"...What?"

"Raven I'm not stupid I know what you're doing."

Raven shifted her eyes before responding primly. "I'm afraid I do not know to what you refer."

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "What did you say to him Raven?"

"To whom?"

Clarke laughed gently. "Do you really expect me to believe that Prince Bellamy just so happened to wander upon my secret training grounds at the exact moment that I would still be there but Finn would be gone?" She silently scolded herself for calling him Finn.  _Mr. Collins_ , she reminded herself, but did not correct her statement. Instead, she stared at Raven's bemused expression.

"Prince  _Bellamy_ , is it now?"

Clarke's eyes widened in surprise, her friend was unbelievable!

"That is not the point! The point is that  _you_ ," she pointed her finger cheekily in Raven's direction, "are interfering in matters which do not concern you."

Raven shrugged her amber shoulders, causing her heavy dress to rustle softly. "You needed a push. And you're smiling so I know you aren't actually mad which  _means_  that it worked." She grinned in triumph.

Clarke sighed resignedly. "I could never be truly mad at you Raven, you know that."

"I know." Raven paused, still grinning. "But  _Bellamy_  though!"

"Raven!" Clarke groaned.

"Come on, Clarke. That means you're making progress, which is great! You cannot honestly tell me that you still hate him, can you?"

Raven smiled as she watched her pale friend dart her eyes about the room.

"I guess not...Yes, alright, we're making progress! We have had a few talks and I am getting more used to him being around I just...I don't want to marry the man! Raven, I barely know him and yes he's not that bad but he's still annoying and he smiles way too much I mean what is up with that it's weird!"

Raven's grin grew impossibly wider. "Clarke, if the worst thing you can say about him is that he  _smiles too much_ , I am pretty confident that things will turn out just fine."

* * *

Octavia laughed from her spot on the grass as she watched Jasper throw a red berry in a long arc, landing perfectly in Monty's waiting mouth. She missed Bellamy but she was glad to be spending time with her friends again. With the boys often busy on duties or training, she never got to spend a lot of time with them.

She watched again as Monty threw a berry to Jasper and laughed as it barely made it. She observed Jasper struggle to leap forward through the beams of sunlight filtering through the trees.

"There's no way you could do that from across the bank!" She said it of course, because she knew they would try it.

Octavia observed as Jasper stood by the edge of the small creek, amused by what was sure to come. And of course, as Octavia knew would happen, poor Jasper trying to catch the berry fell backwards straight into the water.

There was rather uneventful splash followed by gasps of laughter.

Octavia gazed through tear-filled eyes as Jasper struggled to remove himself from the creek. The rocks were slippery and he kept sliding back into the water, the majority of his body now soaking wet.

"Maybe if you two would stop guffawing and lend me a hand I could get out of here before getting Hypothermia!"

Monty and Octavia staggered over to the creek's edge through fits of laughter and each held a hand to their friend, but before she knew what was happening, there was a splash and she was in the creek too! She winced as she felt the cold water seep into her clothes and hastily sat up with as much dignity as she could muster. Monty was still on the shore (literally rolling on the ground with laughter) but Octavia had been too slight to bear the larger man's weight.

She looked down at herself, looked over at Jasper, and burst into laughter once more. "You're such an idiot! What are you going to say if my mother sees me?"

Jasper solemnly placed his hand over his heart -which looked infinitely more hilarious with his long hair dripping into his face- and uttered, "I will tell her of a daring chase of bandits and how I threw myself at you to block an arrow, narrowly avoiding death, yet unfortunately landing in a small creek in the process. Wet is better than dead, dear Princess."

Hearing this, Monty dissolved into silent laughter. Octavia looked at her friends and smiled, despite being wet and cold, she hadn't had this much fun in a very long time.

* * *

Bellamy's feet danced softly across the newly disturbed grass of the small grove of trees he had found the Princess in the previous day, watching his sword swing through the air. Seeing Clarke practicing earlier that day had stirred his need to hold his sword again. He hadn't taken it out since he'd arrived at the castle and he missed the feel of the blade in his hand.

 _Clarke_. She was just one surprise after another. A sword-fighting Princess, who would have thought? Bellamy tried not to think about how her practice tunic and pants had revealed her figure. The delicate muscles in her arms...The shape of her legs...The curve of her hips-

The weapon dropped to the ground with a dull thud.  _Where had that come from?_  He shook himself before slowly picking up the sword and resuming a combative stance. Clarke was pretty, he admitted to himself -he wasn't quite sure when he'd realized it- but she was still Clarke...so soft and young and gentle. He barely knew her, Bellamy realized. He had spent over a week with her yet really didn't know anything at all.

She liked the greenhouses and she could use a sword, but other than that the only things he knew are what he had heard from his mother. Which, if he admitted to himself, were in all likelihood, very untrue.

If he was to marry this girl within the next few months, he noted, he needed to get to know her better. He smiled to himself as he resolved to do exactly that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ONCE AGAIN OH MY GOSH I'M SO SO SORRY ABOUT NOT UPDATING I'm not even going to give you excuses they don't matter. Anyways the lovely poem at the beginning is by tumblr user ravenreyse (link in my bio) and (dun, dun, DUNNNNNNNN) Mandy didn't beta this chapter...which when she finds out I posted it will not end well for me but I really wanted to get it out for you guys! I'll probably update the chapter with a beta'd version later if anyone cares enough to come back and read it again.
> 
> Hopefully now that the holidays are over I should be back on more of a schedule. I will try REALLY HARD to not make you guys wait this long anymore, I know how frustrating it is to wait for fics to update!
> 
> Anyways, thank you all for sticking with me, and I hope you have a wonderful year! 3
> 
> \- Lauren


	7. Moonlight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke blushed lightly on the walk down to the front doors, she hadn't meant to use his first name but it had come so naturally. She found that she rather liked when he called her by hers.
> 
> She turned around in front of the doors and held out her hand towards the Prince. "Are you ready?" She smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so it's been a while...I'm really sorry for not updating sooner but there are some really serious things going on in my personal life right now and I didn't have a lot of time to commit to this story. Also once I was done my lovely beta Mandy was extremely busy and didn't have time to edit the chapter for a bit. So I'm sorry to say the for the near future updates will be random and probably not very often, but I will try my best.
> 
> I'm very excited to announce that this is the longest chapter yet! Yay! It's also my personal favourite. I've had this one planned out from the start and I'm really happy to be able to post it finally

_"Moving too fast,_  
_Moon is lighting up her skin_  
_She's falling,_  
_Doesn't even know it yet"_

* * *

Clarke woke up with a start, her soft sheets strewn around her bed in what could only be described as delicate chaos. What was  _that?_  She had been dreaming...about  _him._  About Bellamy Blake and his stupid smile and his fluffy hair and that odd cut on the bridge of his nose that hadn't quite healed yet. She found herself intrigued by it. Where did he get it?  _How_  did he get it? Princes were not supposed to be scratched, especially on the face. She had lied to him the other day, he was definitely not what she had expected at all. Mind you, he knew that.

Bellamy had started taking over her thoughts and she was extremely disappointed in herself.  _And since when had he become Bellamy?_

She sat up, slowly and meticulously smoothing her loose hair down her back, trying to clear her mind. She didn't understand why she found him so fascinating, she still barely knew him and she wasn't even sure if she actually liked him or not. He was just so different. Clarke was positive that if she had seen him out in the market she wouldn't have looked at him twice. He looked so unassuming, yet if you took the time to see, it was quite clear that he was an important person, especially in the lines of his face.

She shook her head. This was the exact opposite way to clear her thoughts. Looking around her extravagant bedroom, Clarke's eyes widened as they focused on the full-window doors to the balcony. Very slowly, as though she were afraid of disturbing the possibility of a dream, she climbed out of bed and walked to the windows, placing her hand on the glass. She gently pushed open the door and stepped outside.

Uncaring of the chill on her bare feet or the wind blowing through her thin nightdress, Clarke put her arms out and slowly turned in a circle, quietly laughing in joy. The entire world was white. She closed her eyes and breathed in the crisp, winter air, feeling the snowflakes dance across her skin. Clarke loved snow. Adored it. It was so magical, the entire world sparkled and shone in the sun while icicles hung from tree branches like leaves of crystals.

Grinning, Clarke ducked back inside before she caught her death and began frantically scurrying about her room, retrieving various articles of clothing. Despite having handmaidens, Clarke was very capable of dressing herself, and dress herself she did before snatching her winter cloak from her trunk and hurrying out the door.

Rushing through the halls, dodging roaming guards and tray-bearing servers, she quickly made her way to her final destination: the front doors. In her hurry, Clarke almost missed the tall figure standing by the floor to ceiling window in the entry hall. She all but skidded to a halt before approaching him.

"Prince Bellamy?"

He seemed to startle slightly at her words before turning to her with wide, childlike eyes. "It's...snowing."

Clarke blinked. "Yes..." And then it dawned on her. "You've never seen snow, have you?"

Of course he hadn't. The Griffin Castle was halfway up a northern mountain, the Blake Castle was not only in a valley, but was also at least a two-day's journey south on horseback...and that's if you had excellent weather...and a fast horse.

Clarke beamed as an idea struck her. "Follow me."

* * *

Bellamy followed Clarke through the winding halls, quickly losing his way. They had entered a part of the castle he had never visited and the Princess was moving so fast he barely had time to take in his surroundings of dimly lit wall sconces and long forgotten tapestries.

"Where are we going, Princess?" He questioned.

Clarke just threw a smile over her shoulder and breathlessly announced that he would see shortly.

And see shortly he would. He almost smacked into Clarke's back as she suddenly stopped in front of a pair of extravagant dark wood doors. Bellamy watched with curiosity as she pushed them open and stepped into a clearly abandoned room. Dust had settled in a fine layer over everything and had obviously not been disturbed for some time.

"This was my father's study," Clarke explained. "I just need to fetch something."

Bellamy took in the room. The desk her father must have sat at everyday, the couch he probably lounged on in the evenings, perhaps Clarke had sat there with him.

"Princess, what are we doing here?"

He had spoken to her back, and his eyes widened when she turned around and carried a warm winter cloak towards him.

"My mother put all of his things in here when he died, this will probably fit you."

He was oddly touched, she was trusting him with something of her fathers.  _Again_  he realized, thinking back to the day she had tossed him the beautiful Mortuary sword.

"I can't wear your father's cloak..."

Clarke chuckled a little before all but shoving it into his hands. "Don't be ridiculous, Bellamy, of course you can. It's not getting any use in here and you'll freeze if you go outside without one."

It took Bellamy a moment to respond. She had used his name, _just_  his name. Had she even noticed? He decided not to mention it, instead he smiled and said, "Thank you, Clarke."

* * *

Clarke blushed lightly on the walk down to the front doors, she hadn't meant to use his first name but it had come so naturally. She found that she rather liked when he called her by hers.

She turned around in front of the doors and held out her hand towards the Prince. "Are you ready?" She smiled.

Bellamy stared at her hand for a moment before gently grasping it in his and smiling back.

Clarke couldn't stand waiting a second longer, she reached behind her and opened the door, revealing the grounds in all their frosted glory. Walking outside slowly, for the first time in her life Clarke did not look at the grounds in wonder of the first snowfall, nor at the brilliantly blinding white sky. No, Clarke looked at Bellamy. She watched his cautious footsteps as he stepped outside and into the fluffy snow for the first time. She watched his face as the chill reached it and stained his cheeks pink. She watched as he held out his other hand and caught a snowflake from the sky.

Not wanting to disturb the moment, Clarke whispered her question. "What do you think?"

Bellamy's beaming face turned towards her in awe. "It's like magic."

 _It's like magic..._ that's what she had said the first time she had seen snow, what she said every winter when she saw it again.

"Yeah, it is..."

They stared at each other for a moment before a slow smirk grew across Clarke's face. She dropped his hand and took a few steps backwards, into the untouched snow of the grounds.

"You know what else it is?"

Bellamy's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "What?"

"Cold!" She yelled as she quickly ducked down, gathered a ball of snow in her hands and hurled it at him.

It hit him square in the face and Clarke doubled over laughing only to be abruptly disturbed by the extremely unpleasant feeling of snow sliding down one's back. Bellamy had recovered and pulled her cloak away, exposing the back of her dress, and dropped a handful of snow down her back. She looked into his laughing face with shock.

"You're dead now."

She darted away before he could grab her and started running through the field towards the safety the greenhouse walls would provide her.

"We'll see about that, Princess!" He called after her, laughter playing in his voice.

Clarke had the advantage of having the experience of maneuvering the tall mounds of snow on the pathways before they had been cleared. She rushed daintily towards shelter. Once she had ducked behind a wall she poked her head around the corner to find her opponent, but she couldn't see him. She pushed her body further around the edge, her blue eyes scanning the grounds until she felt something hit her square in the back.

She turned around and saw Bellamy standing not five feet away from her, nonchalantly tossing a snow ball back and forth between his hands. He casually raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Clarke opened her mouth in playful shock as she considered the situation. Bellamy already had ammo, so she couldn't bend to gather her own because he'd attack. She had to surprise him.

Without warning, she rushed him. In his surprise, Bellamy tried to throw the snowball but managed only a pitiful blow to her arm before she knocked him to the ground. Gasping at the shock of the cold snow against his flushed skin, he tried to defend himself. Reaching to the side he grabbed a handful of snow and unceremoniously dumped it on her head.

Clarke immediately pushed herself off of him as she felt the unpleasant wetness trail down her face, rolled over onto her back, and ceased all movement, save for the heavy rise and fall of her chest. Turning her head, she saw Bellamy mimicking her actions, already looking at her. His face was pink from the cold and exertion and his brown hair was wet and tangled, pressed against his face in odd angles. Without thinking, she reached out and touched the fading cut on the bridge of his nose.

"Where did you get this?" She said softly, as though afraid a sudden noise would send him running.

It took him a moment to respond, and when he did speak the movement caused Clarke's finger to move slightly.

"I was in the village with my sister. Octavia," He added, although he knew she would have heard of her. "I don't like to be treated like...well, like myself, so I usually dress in common clothes so I am free to wander without interruption. There was a man making eyes at my sister. You must understand I had no intention of interfering until he put his hands on her." Clarke watched his eyes harden at the memory, causing him to look much more like a man than a boy. "I punched him, but he was strong and we got into a fight. Octavia was...furious, saying she could handle herself, but it was too late by then. He ended up decking me right here," He tapped Clarke's finger where it still rested above the cut. "Almost broke my nose."

"That doesn't sound very Prince-like."

She watched the corner of his mouth turn up into a sideways grin before he answered. "Yes well, despite what you may think, I don't exactly make a habit of punching people in the middle of the market."

Clarke pushed herself into a sitting position and looked at the Prince's disheveled appearance.

"Well, you've probably never been this messy in your life."

She watched him sit up as well as his eyes took on the glassy look of a distant memory.

"I used to play in the rain with Octavia. Sometimes mud was involved so, yes Princess, I have definitely been this messy."

She smiled. The fondness in his voice when he talked about Octavia was something she had never heard from him before. "She sounds nice, your sister."

"I think you'd really like her, she reminds me of you."

"Why didn't you bring her with you?"

His eyes shifted to the ground before he looked at her again. "I wanted to come alone to meet you, not that she didn't put up a fight...I told her she could come next time."

Clarke playfully raised her eyebrows. "Next time?"

He threw a cocky grin her way. "I had high expectations."

"Well...your sister will be very welcome here."

"Thank you. I'm sure she will be very excited to hear that."

They shared another silent look and Clarke realized that these quiet moments were becoming increasingly less awkward. She cleared her throat and stood.

"We should go inside, we'll freeze and we should probably change." She hadn't realize quite how wet she was, her hair was literally dripping and her clothes clung to her body.

She heard him stand behind her as she started walking back to the castle.

"As you say, Princess." 

* * *

Later, Bellamy looked out his window at the full moon, watching it's light sparkle through the castle grounds, bathing everything in a warm, white glow. He did a double take when he saw a figure sitting by the small pond in front of the main greenhouse. On second look, he quickly recognized the startling blonde hair of the Princess. With a split-second decision, he grabbed the borrowed cloak hanging by the door and made his way through the halls and outside.

He watched her come into view as he approached her from the other side of the pond. The moon was shining on her skin, making her complexion match the surrounding snow, causing almost a glow about her person. As he got closer he realized she had a book in her lap. She was writing...no,  _drawing_. It amazed him how close he got before she noticed. She glanced up just as he started around the edge of the water.

"Bellamy."

"I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you, I saw you from the castle and I just..." He trailed off with no proper way to finish his sentence.  _I just wanted to be with you? I just wanted to ask you if-_

She patted the seat of the bench beside her, interrupting his thoughts. "No, no you're not disturbing me at all."

She went back to her drawing as he sat beside her. "That's beautiful."

And it was. Clarke had somehow managed to perfectly capture the moonlight reflecting on the frozen surface and the snow sparkling at the water's edge.

He saw her blush slightly but smile. "Thank you."

"Clarke..." He started.

She turned to him, eyebrows raised, attention at the ready.

"I'm going back home tomorrow and I thought you might like to accompany me."

He internally winced as her eyes widened. "Just for a visit like my own. You could meet my mother and sister and see my home, it would be a three-day journey and you could experience the terrain down south...Of course, you don't have to but I-"

She cut him off with a gentle hand on his arm. "I think...I would like that."

Bellamy didn't even try to hide his surprise. "Really?"

She nodded, drawing long forgotten. "I've always wanted to see the south and your sister sounds lovely. I am sure your castle is beautiful as well."

This was not the answer he had expected. It was however, the answer he had hoped for. "I'm leaving tomorrow morning after breakfast."

Clarke instantly jumped to her feet. "Oh! Well I'd better go pack and inform my mother of my plans, I'm sure she won't mind, she'll probably expect me to come back with a ring on my finger." She had been joking, but Bellamy heard her swallow loudly and clear her throat. "I'll...see you tomorrow morning then." She spoke before turning and quickly fleeing to the warmth inside the castle.

Bellamy followed behind not minutes later and made his way to his rooms. That night he dreamed of snowflakes and moonlight and laughing blue eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow okay so this is one of the chapters that I've been dying to write, I know there's no Octavia and I know Raven hasn't been around a lot but I really wanted to use this chapter to 100% focus on Bellarke. Everyone will be back next time :) The lyrics at the beginning are from Night Changes by One Direction
> 
> I also want to give a heads up that my beta is having a really busy time at uni right now so chapters might take a bit longer for her to edit. (I also want to thank her even though she's crazy for asking to do this)
> 
> I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I liked writing it!
> 
> Until next time...
> 
> \- Lauren


	8. Incredible Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bellamy wanted to say that he was quite positive he was better at everything than Mr. Collins but decided to keep his mouth shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOOOOOW so I'd like to apologize for the wait but unfortunately my situation won't be changing anytime soon so I'm very sorry about that but I want you all to know that I have absolutely no intentions of abandoning this fic so don't worry, I will always update eventually.
> 
> This chapter is really fun (I think) and I loved writing it so I hope you guys love reading it!

_"Nice to meet you,_  
_Where you been?_  
_I could show you incredible things.  
_ _Magic, madness, heaven, sin."_

* * *

Clarke watched the landscape roll by outside the window of the carriage. Currently, she was sitting across from Bellamy in what she referred to as the 'travelling carriage'. Herself and Bellamy also had separate, smaller carriages for sleeping but were set to spend most of the daylight hours together. The travelling carriage not only contained the two royals, but also had two long cushioned benches on either end, with a low table in the centre. At the moment, Clarke's sketch book lay open on the otherwise empty surface, but she had yet to draw anything.

If she had to guess, Clarke would have said it had been about two hours. Two hours of white trees, wheels rolling along the bumpy path, horses hooves clicking, and Bellamy Blake.

She stole a glance at him across the table and observed the way he focused so intently on the book he was reading. She watched as he prepared to turn the page, his eyes nearing the bottom and his fingers gently playing with the corner of the paper.

So caught up in the delicacy of his actions, Clarke failed to notice when he stopped reading.

"Was there something you wanted, Princess?"

Clarke startled and quickly turned her attention towards her sketch book, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Not at all," she replied offhandedly.

With a small grin and a light shake of his head, Bellamy returned his attention to his book and Clarke returned her attention to Bellamy.

She found herself studying his rugged features.  _Not rugged_ , she told herself...He was much too put together to be rugged. To her surprise, she could not quite find a way to describe the smoothness of his skin contrasting with his sharp cheekbones and defined jaw line. His ruffled dark hair curling near the ears or the light spattering of freckles dotting the skin below his eyes. He was simply...Bellamy. And that was that.

Suddenly, Clarke felt the little flicker of excitement that burned in her heart whenever she found a new subject to draw. She hadn't drawn portraits in forever, and sitting before her was the perfect challenge. She did not know the Prince's face the way she did Finn's or Raven's. She had not looked at this face for seventeen years, had not known this face her entire life. But she was beginning to know it now...and she had to admit it was a rather beautiful face.

Setting her mind to it, Clarke toed her shoes off and pulled her feet underneath her, using her knees as a pseudo easel, grabbed a pencil, and set to work.

No one could say quite how much time had passed, it could have been an hour, it could have been a day, but eventually Bellamy closed his book and looked up at Clarke. Seeing the movement from the corner of her eye she silently cursed him for not having waited until she had finished, but said nothing. She was almost done anyway, she could do the rest from memory.

"What are you drawing?"

The question startled her concentration as she tried to seem nonchalant. "Oh, nothing..."

She could imagine his incredulous eyebrow raise before he spoke again. "It doesn't sound like nothing."

There was a long pause where Clarke ignored him, and she realized these silent interactions weren't awkward anymore.

She heard, rather than saw the Prince raise himself and carefully maneuvered the moving carriage as he came to sit beside her.

"May I see it?"

She looked up then, surreptitiously angling the book away from his sight line, but found an honest curiosity so innocent on the face of the young man sitting before her that she found herself nodding. Before she could change her mind, she handed him the book.

She watched the curiosity in his eyes slowly turn to recognition as he no doubt recognised his own face. Watched the recognition turn quickly to surprise, before fading into what Clarke could only describe as amazement. She felt the blush begin to spread across her pale skin and willed it to stop before it became too obvious.

"Clarke..." He seemed to be struggling to find the right words. "This is...amazing."

Not used to praise, she hastily informed him that it wasn't finished yet before holding her hand out, awaiting the return of her book.

"Not finished? Clarke, it's incredible, how did you do this?"

She felt that pesky blush begin its journey down her neck and hoped the curtains on the windows kept out enough light to hide her surely red face. She never really showed anyone her art. Hell, her mother didn't even  _know_  about it, and Finn and Raven had always accepted her wishes to not display her work to them. There was something about Bellamy though, that made her want to show him. She wanted him to see the way she saw him. Wanted to give him that little piece of herself. And that, out of everything that had happened since he had entered her life, is what scared Clarke the most.

Slowly lowering her hand Clarke delicately shrugged. "I don't know, I just...see something that catches my eye and I draw it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not..." She trailed off, not really knowing where she had been going in the first place.

She paused to think before she continued. "It's like...when I am holding a weapon that I haven't been taught how to use yet. I look at it, and it's beautiful, but I don't know how to make it work...so I study it, and I start slowly, making cautious, light patterns, until I get into a rhythm. Until I find something in it that helps me understand. I could never fight with daggers, Fi-Mr. Collins tried to teach me many times but I could never quite get the feel for it. And sometimes I find something I'm drawing like that. it just...refuses to show me what makes it special, won't let me fully understand it's beauty, and then the picture turns out all wrong. Where as other times I find something that I understand so perfectly, where I can see everything that makes it special, and then I can translate that to the paper. It takes practice and time but...if you can find what feels right, it always ends up a masterpiece."

Having spoken with her eyes down for the majority of her impromptu speech, Clarke looked up at Bellamy. He was looking at her as though she were a new person. Not necessarily a better person, but different. Perhaps more complex.

Before she had too much time to read into it the carriage came to an abrupt stop and one of the guards opened the doors.

"Apologizes, Your Highness," he addressed Bellamy. "The horses need to rest. We will start up our travels again soon."

Bellamy nodded kindly. "Thank you, Miller. It's no trouble at all."

The guard, Miller, curtly nodded before disappearing as fast as he had arrived.

Clarke watched as Bellamy regarded her for a moment before handing her book back and reaching for his borrowed winter cloak.

"Come with me," he said with a smile lighting up his face. "I have something to show you."

* * *

Bellamy discretely snatched two rolls from a tray no doubt being prepared for them, before leading Clarke towards the side of the road.

"Miller!" He called. "I'm taking Princess Griffin for a walk, we won't go far."

Miller looked hesitant until Bellamy pulled away the side of his cloak, revealing the sword holstered at his hip. With one last nod to the guard, him and Clarke slipped into the trees.

"Where are we going?" Clarke wondered aloud.

"Away from them," he replied vaguely as he gestured a hand behind him to the road.

"Why?"

Bellamy spun in his tracks and tossed her one of the rolls before replying. "Because I want to show you something."

He thought he heard her mutter something along the lines of  _"so you said..."_  as he turned around, but he couldn't be sure.

After a brief minute longer of walking, Bellamy stopped and turned to Clarke before shedding her father's cloak and taking care to fold it and set it lightly on the ground behind him. Then he bent down and pulled a knife from the side of his boot before casually spinning it in the air, catching the blade and holding the handle out towards the Princess.

She eyed it with something of a resigned recognition before asking him more or less what the hell he thought he was doing.

Bellamy raised an eyebrow in amusement before answering. "Teaching you how to use a dagger."

He watched Clarke close her eyes for a brief moment before reluctantly reaching her hand out to take the blade.

"What makes you think you can teach me better than Mr. Collins?"

Bellamy wanted to say that he was quite positive he was better at everything than Mr. Collins but decided to keep his mouth shut. Instead opting for, "Because I understand you now, Princess."

"Is that so?" He watched her mouth quirk in suppressed amusement.

"Do you trust me?"

He found himself desperately hoping the answer was yes.

"Yes."

Bellamy allowed himself a moment of relief before sending her his most dazzling grin.

"Alright, so this is a seax. Initially, they were intended as sort of a backup in case your opponent got your sword away from you, but now they are used much more frequently in combat. This one here is a short seax which means you have to get in very close to attack your opponent, which," he added with an approving smile, "Will actually benefit you. You're small, most likely you will be much smaller than anyone you fight so you need to use their size against them. Because of your convenient size, it will be much easier for you to slip in and out of range quickly. But first, you have to learn how to use the damn thing.

The basic rules of knife combat are don't get cut, "defang the serpent" which I will explain later, keep control, time is of the essence, -you don't play around and tease like in a sword fight- and survive. Survival is your number one goal."

He watched her face take in all the information before he continued.

"Take up a basic forward fighting stance. Good. Now, may I?" He gestured to her person, asking permission to move her body.

When she nodded, he stepped forward and placed his hand behind her left knee. "Bend just a little more, but don't put your weight on it, you should be balancing weight between the balls of your feet. The idea is to be light and quick."

After she complied, Bellamy straightened and gently grasped each of her elbows, tucking them in to her sides. "You want to make yourself as small a target as possible so keep your arms close to your body, you don't want to give them anything extra to attack. Use your left arm to block your face," he said, raising her arm and positioning her hand in front of her head and throat. "This is your checking hand, which means it helps your attacking hand to...well, attack. You will use it to grab hold of your opponents attacking hand to provide you some leverage."

He paused for a moment before slowly raising his hand to her chin. "Tuck your chin in," he spoke quietly, "But keep your head up so you have a proper sight line..."

It was in that moment that Bellamy realized how inappropriately close they were. He could feel her bent knee brush the side of his leg and her face was just a breath away from his own. He cleared his throat and stepped back.

"Okay, great. You have to remember that this is a mobile stance, so when you move try to keep your body as close to this as possible.

As I'm sure you are familiar with, the knife is an extension of your hand, treat it as such. You are fully in charge. Do not doubt yourself."

He watched as she gently scrunched her face together and nodded seriously before continuing his lesson.

"The main thing to remember is that you want the fight to be over as fast as possible. Go in early, and go in strong. Once you have a grip on your opponent's weapon hand, use that to not only keep it away from you, but to pull yourself into their body. Don't think, just stab. Odds are you hit something important, and if you have not, you've seriously hindered them.

Now you need to take control, attack the weapon hand, slash at the wrist or the elbow, wherever there is a large joint or artery. That is what they call defanging the serpent. If you take the poison out, the snake can't kill you. If they can't hold the weapon, they cannot hurt you with it. You need to keep this control, remember that if they had a knife, their intention was to kill you, they probably won't give up easily. Attack the throat and the upper arm, and remember to never lose your hold on their weapon arm.

Once they are injured enough, knock them to the ground. Then run, your goal is not to kill them, but to save yourself."

He could practically see her brain spinning, trying to store all the information she had just heard. Bellamy allowed her a moment before carrying on.

"Now, do you think you can do that?"

Clarke's eyes widened in surprise as she slackened her stance slightly.

"What? Just like that? All you've done is talk to me for five minutes, what do you expect me to do?"

She was trying not to look scared, he noted. Clarke wasn't one to give up or say no. Bellamy smiled softly.

"Just try, Clarke. You trust me, remember?"

She rolled her eyes before nodding slightly. "Alright."

Bellamy took up a fighting stance. "We'll take it slow, okay? Pretend I have a knife here," he waved his right hand, "and just go through the steps."

He watched as Clarke regarded him for a moment before darting forwards and snatching his right hand wrist and twisting it to the side. Bellamy quickly grabbed the wrist that held her knife and turned her arm in on herself, using her hand to hold the dagger to her own throat. He smiled.

"Good. But you forgot that I have a checking hand too."

He watched her eyes turn frustrated as he released her wrist and stepped back.

"Don't get frustrated yet, you are doing really well, you've just started learning give it some time."

Her eyes hardened in determination.

"Show me again."

* * *

After ten more minutes Clarke had to admit that she was getting much farther with Bellamy than she ever had with Finn. While Finn was a good teacher, Bellamy seemed to understand Clarke's personal methods better. Finn had been a very by-the-book fighter, whereas Clarke preferred to improvise when possible.

Bellamy was obviously very experienced, he always managed to disarm her or deliver a fatal blow. Currently she was walking back towards the carriages with him.

"You're learning very fast," he was saying. "You will no doubt be an expert in no time. Though I imagine you would do better if you weren't in your dress and heels..."

He trailed off as she looked at him funny and blushed.

"...You brought your training clothes didn't you?"

"Maybe...I never expected to do anything with you though, I thought I might be able to sneak away sometimes and practice on my own."

She watched him smile incredulously, as though she were a puzzle he had just found another piece to.

"Well, now you don't have to be on your own."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I liked writing it. I spent days researching many alarming topics such as "different kinds of daggers" and "knife fighting" so just be really thankful that I didn't get framed for some hideous murder and had my internet searched...
> 
> The lyrics at the beginning are of course from Blank Space by Taylor Swift :)
> 
> The last chapter was longer than this one but I am definitely lengthening the chapters considerably so I hope you all like that!
> 
> Love you guys,
> 
> Lauren


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